The Case of the Turning Tide

Chapter 10

Nita Moline deftly guided the big cream-colored coupe through the streets of Los Angeles and finally into a parking place, slid across the seat, opened the right-hand door, and thrust out a trim pearl-gray suede shoe. There followed a quick glimpse of stocking. Her suit was gray, a few shades darker than the shoes. Her body looked trimly tailored, freshly supple, but her face gave evidence of the strain to which she had been subjected.

She moved briskly up the walk which led to the stucco Spanish-type bungalow and rang the bell.

The maid answered the door, said, “Good morning, Miss Moline,” and stood aside for her to come in. “Mrs. Right said she just couldn’t see anyone. I’m sorry.”

“Where is she?”

“In her bedroom. She...”

Nita Moline swept past the maid, saying, “I’m sorry. This is too important to be put off.”

The maid followed for a few steps, protesting, then kept silent until Nita Moline opened the door of the bedroom. Then she said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Right. She...”

Pearl Right still had the remains of a breakfast on the tray by the window. She said, “Never mind, Edna,” to the maid, and when the door had closed, said to Nita Moline, “Had breakfast?”

“Hours ago.”

“Well?”

“I wanted you to know that I’ve instructed my attorney to get me put in charge of Addison Stearne’s estate.”

“My lawyer phoned a few minutes ago and told me the application had been filed,” Pearl Right said in a voice that held no expression.

“Are you going to contest?”

“I don’t know.”

“It would be better if you didn’t.”

Mrs. Right regarded her visitor thoughtfully. She wore a blue velvet housecoat and light blue mules with white puff’s at the tops. Her face was as fully made up as though for the street. Her cheeks had been carefully rouged, and her hair combed. There was even mascara on her eyelashes. There was the red imprint of lipstick on the side of the coffee cup just below the rim, but she had renewed the color of her lips.

“Well?” Miss Moline asked.

“I suppose you think you have something on me. You’re trying to tell me I’ll have to behave or else. Is that it?”

Nita Moline said impatiently, “Snap out of it, Pearl. I want to talk with you.”

“Go ahead and talk.”

“Addison Stearne provided in his will that the bulk of his property would go to Arthur. But if Arthur died first, then everything except a few thousand went to me. Did you know that?”

“Not exactly, but I’d supposed it would be something like that. He hated me. Of course, he’d try to keep me from having the benefit of any of his money.”

“It was a crazy thing to do,” Nita Moline said. “There’s a good chance for a lawsuit.”

“Why?”

“Trying to determine which died first. As I understand it, from the position in which the bodies were found, Addison may have died before Arthur,”

“That means I get the money?” Pearl Right asked, regarding Nita Moline with steady eyes.

“That means you get the money.”

“And that’s why you’re here?”

“In a way, yes.”

There was a sudden sharp suspicion in Pearl Right’s eyes. “You wouldn’t be here unless you thought Addison Stearne had died first. You’re here trying to...”

“Don’t be silly, Pearl. I’m here trying to talk sense. It’s quite possible the question of who died first will never be solved. Personally, I see no reason for you and me throwing a lot of money to the birdies.”

“Meaning I should step aside and give you everything?”

“No. Meaning that we’ll act sensibly. I’ll take charge of the estate for the purpose of getting it all together, finding out just what property there is, and carrying on with Addison’s business. I won’t touch a penny of the money, except to see that business is carried on. By that time, we’ll know who died first — if we can ever get definite proof.”

Pearl Right said, “Arthur probably left a will disinheriting me. It would be the same in any event so far as I’m concerned. If Arthur died first, you’d get the money. If he didn’t, we’d both be out.”

“Do you know if he left a will?”

“No.”

“Didn’t he leave some insurance?”

“Oh, I suppose so.”

“You’re the beneficiary of any policies, aren’t you?”

“I guess so. I suppose you know the relationship between us?”

Nita Moline hesitated a moment, then said, “I don’t know as that needs to enter into it, Pearl. This is just a business matter.”

Pearl Right said bitterly, “Addison Stearne broke us up. If he hadn’t been killed, I’d have sued him for alienation of affections.”

“For how much?”

“Two hundred thousand dollars. The papers were all ready.”

“Why did you want to do that, Pearl?”

“You know why.”

Nita Moline shook her head.

Pearl Right said, with growing feeling, “Well, you should know why. You were the one that was back of it all. How did you know that I’d left a letter for Arthur?”

“I’d rather not go into that.”

Pearl Right regarded her visitor curiously. “You’re a queer one,” she said. “If I weren’t too numbed to feel any emotion, I’d hate you. As it is, I’m trying to get you classified. I sup-pose that telephone call to me at Catalina was selfish.”

“Why?” Nita Moline asked.

“Because you didn’t want the letter I’d left for Arthur published.”

“I didn’t!” Nita Moline exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes.”

“Why not?”

“Because you were mentioned in it.”

“What are you talking about?”

Pearl Right said, “Are you going to try to tell me you didn’t know what Arthur and Addison Stearne were hatching up on that yachting trip?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea.”

Increasing bitterness came into Mrs. Right’s voice. “Oh, no, you haven’t the faintest idea. The subject’s getting pretty close to home now, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. Addison Stearne wanted to get rid of you. He was afraid you might sue him for breach of promise, unless he eased you out of the picture very tactfully. He’d known for a long time Arthur was crazy about you. And Arthur was so simple, he’d never suspect that you and Addison were...”

Nita Moline jumped to her feet. “Pearl, don’t you say that! That’s a lie! That’s...”

“Oh, no, it isn’t. Addison always hated me. He tried to turn Arthur against me. Well, he finally succeeded. And he man-aged to dangle you in front of Arthur’s eyes and keep talking about you until Arthur fell in love with you.”

“Pearl, you’re crazy.”

She said sneeringly, “I suppose you want me to believe that you didn’t know.”

“He... Why, I’d only seen him a few times.”

“On yachting trips.”

“He’d been on some trips with Addison when I’d been along.”

Pearl Right said, almost musingly, “Addison poisoned Arthur’s mind against me. But Arthur didn’t realize he was in love with you until Thursday — not that it makes a great deal of difference. He’s dead now. He told me Friday night that we were all finished. He was in love with you. He said if I didn’t go to Reno and get a divorce, he would.”

Nita Moline said, “Pearl, please believe me. I never knew anything of that. Honestly I didn’t.”

“Bosh! You knew what would be in the letter I’d left for him when I walked out Saturday. You knew the officers would come here. You didn’t want them to find that letter. You didn’t want your name dragged into it — and speaking of keeping your name out of the mess, suppose you tell me what actually happened up there at Santa Delbarra?”

“What do you mean, Pearl?”

“You know what I mean. How long were you aboard that yacht before you gave the alarm?”

“Why, just a few minutes. I...”

“Long enough to get rid of the gun and perhaps the note.”

“What do you mean?”

She said, “Arthur would have left a note. He’s like that.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, yes, you do. Addison wanted Arthur to meet him in Santa Delbarra. That was when Addison was going to see that Arthur had a chance to tell you of his infatuation. — Your friend, Addison, talked too much. I knew that some day Arthur would kill him. I even tried to get to Addison’s office last week to warn him, but he wouldn’t see me.”

“Pearl, what are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Arthur was absolutely crazy about you. He told me so Friday. And I was afraid Addison would let something slip about your relationship. Arthur had begun to suspect. Something I... Well, Arthur killed him, and then committed suicide. He’d have left a note. You came aboard the yacht and found the bodies. You tossed the gun overboard so it would look like murder, and heaven knows what you did with the note — not that I blame you. I’d probably have done the same thing under similar circumstances, but we may as well understand each other.”

Nita Moline, white faced, said, “And what do you think was my relationship with Addison Stearne?”

“You’re asking for it,” Pearl Right said.

“I’m asking for it.”

“You were a cast-off mistress.”

“Pearl, do you actually believe that?”

“Of course I believe it.”

Nita Moline, standing with her hands clenched into tight little fists, said, “There’s no reason on earth why I should, but, just so you’ll get something straight for once in your life, I’m going to tell you. Addison was in love with my mother. He tried to marry her, wanted desperately to marry her. She turned him down and married my father. My father left her. Mother died. Two years ago, Father was killed in an auto accident. Addison Stearne read about it, and started a search for Mother. He found out then she was dead. His investigators found me. I looked very much as my mother had when she was my age. Addison wanted me to treat him as a father. There were things about him which attracted me to him, and there were other things which repelled me. I know just how my mother felt. The cold-blooded efficiency of the man, his habit of reducing everything to dollars and cents, his cynical belief that every man had his price... oh, well, what’s the use?”

“What’s the use?” Pearl Right echoed mockingly. “It’s a nice explanation to make — after Addison’s death. I suppose you lay awake all night thinking it up.”

Nita Moline said, “I should have known better than to have come here. I only thought we might be able to save the washing of a lot of dirty linen, and get things settled fairly and amicably instead of having them tied up in lawsuits.” She started for the door.

“Wait a minute,” Pearl Right said. “I haven’t answered your question yet.”

“What question?”

“About what I’m going to do in contesting your appointment.”

“I don’t care a fig what you do.”

Pearl said, “You’re peculiar. You won’t face facts.”

“As it happens, your statements aren’t true.”

“Oh, yes, they are. Arthur had a crazy streak in him. He’d begun to get suspicious of your relationship with Addison. He left here Saturday carrying his revolver. I tried to warn Addison. He wouldn’t see me. That was his hard luck.”

“Arthur was carrying a revolver?”

“Of course he was, a thirty-eight caliber Colt. Don’t act so surprised. You know what happened. He killed Addison, and then shot himself. But Arthur would have left a note. He’d have had to explain just why he did it. That was Arthur all over, always going into details to justify himself, not caring what it might mean to others.”

Nita Moline’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “Wait a minute,” she said. “Arthur told you on Friday he was in love with me?”

“Yes.”

“That he was going to leave you?”

“He said one or the other of us would have to get a divorce.”

“And then he started carrying a gun?”

“Yes.”

“For Addison Stearne?”

“Of course.”

Nita Moline said positively, “That’s because when he told you he was in love with me, you taunted him with the fact that I was Addison Stearne’s cast-off mistress, didn’t you, Pearl?”

Pearl Right avoided her eyes.

“Didn’t you?”

“What if I did?”

“You... You...”

“Oh, don’t be so self-righteous,” Mrs. Right said. “Arthur would have left a statement justifying his act. You know what happened as well as I do. You destroyed that note, and tossed the gun overboard. You made it look like a double murder so you could keep your name out of it, and, by making it look like a double murder, you had a chance to show Arthur died first. If it had been murder and suicide, Arthur would have inherited...”

“That shows all you know about it,” Nita Moline interrupted heatedly. “If Arthur had killed him, neither Arthur nor his heirs could ever have taken a penny of Addison’s money, regardless of what was in the will. That’s the law.”

Pearl Right smiled. “Well, well,” she said, “you did give yourself away, didn’t you, dearie? You’ve already asked your lawyer about that.”

Nita Moline said angrily, “That was just one of the questions I asked my lawyers.”

“Oh, yes,” Pearl said, “leave it to you! It would be just one of the questions. You’d keep the lawyer from suspecting by asking a hundred questions which didn’t have anything to do with what you really wanted to know.”

Nita Moline snapped, “You put that thought into Arthur’s head. You taunted him with falling for a cast-off mistress. Why, if he had killed Addison, you’d be a murderess.”

Mrs. Right said, “And so you thought up this explanation of Addison Stearne’s fatherly interest. You had all night to do it. And you came to me to get me to keep my mouth shut... Well, why not? After all, Arthur was finished with me. I don’t blame you for that. I blame Addison... And we can be sensible. Nita, come back here.”

But Nita Moline, stalking angrily to the door, walked out, slamming the door shut behind her.